The Impact of Enlightented Thinking/ Scientific Revolution (T1) Flashcards
What was the ‘Scientific Revolution’?
It refers to the emergence of modern scientific beilefs and methods that took place from 1550-1800
In which areas were the developments in the scientific revolution and how did these help understanding?
New developments in: biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy and mathematics
Helped fundamentally alter established view of natural world & the role of god in commanding nature
What were the two dominant ideas that shaped natural philosophy?
- Aristotelian beliefs
- Platonic beliefs
What were Aristotelian beliefs (relating to scientific revolution)?
Based on work of Acient Greek philosopher Aristotle
He believed the universe was homocentric and used an empirical appraoch
What does homocentric mean?
Having the same centre
What does geocentric mean?
Having the earth as centre
What are Platonic beliefs (relating to scientific revolution)?
Based on the work of Plato - more theoretical approach based on thoughts rather than observation
Plato believed that as the physical world changed there is no way of gaining knowledge from it - but thoughts don’t change
What were the two elements of methodology that were underlying the scientific revolution?
- Mathematics
- Experiment and observation
How did Mathematics aid the scientific revolution?
|t was used to make precise calculations about how the world works
How did Experiment and observation aid the scientific revolution?
They were used to gain a better understanding of nature
Before the scientific revolution, what was the accepted model for the universe?
The geocentric model
Who put forward the geocentric model, and who was it supported by?
Ptolemy - it was supported by the Catholic Church
What was the geocentric approach?
- Used mathematical approach
- Planets moved in an epicycle while orbiting earth
- Supported ancient Greek idea that all heavenly bodies move in perfect circles
- By late middle ages Ptolemaic system became unworkable - too complex
What is an empirical approach?
Learning from observation
Who was Ptolemy?
An Acient mathematician
